Thank you for this post -- your wish list is my wish list. I too am interested in developing new approaches to theater programming at our school and would love to talk more about this. I also completely understand that after working on "Anon(ymous)" (I directed it in 2018), it's a challenge to find another script that offers these elements. Looking forward to checking out other people's recommendations, but here's what I've come up with:
Mirror of Most Value: A Ms. Marvel Play by Masi Asare
https://www.concordtheatricals.com/s/65716/mirror-of-most-value-a-ms-marvel-play-marvel-spotlightKamala attempts to boost Ms. Marvel's fledgling super hero profile by writing her own fan fiction. But when building a fandom becomes an obsession, Kamala's schoolwork and relationships begin to suffer. To become the Jersey City hero of her dreams, Kamala must learn to accept herself just as she is – imperfections and all.
Space Girl by Mona V. Harris
https://www.playscripts.com/play/3211#searchterm=space%20girlArugula Suarez just wants to fit in. But it's not easy when you're a sixteen-year-old alien from the planet Zlagdor. Stuck in a world where the only things that make sense are roller derby and salad, Arugula and her father, Nancy, must find out what it means to be human before time runs out for Planet Earth. (The script does not necessarily call for much racial diversity; the main issue is really between the humans and the aliens, but gender and sexuality are both addressed as well. Both moving and funny, and would work well outdoors, I think.)
Mary Zimmerman has some plays which draw from non-western source material: "Arabian Nights," "The White Snake," and "Journey to the West." All with flexible/ensemble casts and the opportunity for creative/fluid staging. I've directed "Arabian Nights" -- it was a challenge, but also one of our biggest audience draws ever. "Monkey!" by Colin Teevan is a more student friendly adaptation of the same essential story of "Journey to the West" -- he's a white man, though, but then again Mary Zimmerman is a white woman.
These would probably be better with an older, more experienced group. Some cursing. More on the social issues side than the comedy or escapist fantasy side:
All American Boys, from the novel by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, adapted by Jody Drezner Alperin and Vicky Finney Crouch
https://www.playscripts.com/play/3407Rashad is absent today. The graffiti tag begins to appear everywhere after a white cop at the corner store viciously beats a black teenager for a theft he didn't commit. But for Rashad himself, the question is: What about tomorrow? Before his broken ribs have even healed, Rashad faces not only rising tension among his family over who's to blame and what he should do, but also the discovery that a protest movement is growing in his name. He wants to move on--but how can he, when this could happen to someone else? Meanwhile, Quinn, a white classmate who barely knows Rashad, wrestles with a secret: He witnessed the attack, but the officer is a close friend to his family. He's not sure he can stay silent, but what will it cost to speak up? Rashad and Quinn's perspectives alternate throughout this galvanizing adaptation of the acclaimed novel, as the two young men work through a complex web of family loyalties and community ties to find a way to take action.
This is Modern Art by Idris Goodwin & Kevin Coval
(Original cast of 6 but room to expand without doubling)
https://www.playscripts.com/play/2944#searchterm=this%20is%20modern%20arGraffiti crews are willing to risk anything for their art. Though people call them vandals, criminals, and even creative terrorists, they're determined to make their voices heard and alter the way people view the world. So when a young graffiti artist named Seven comes up with an big, audacious idea to shake up the Chicago art scene, his crew is all in. But the biggest graffiti bomb of the LOH Crew's careers may also have serious consequences, for some of them more than others.
This is Modern Art takes you racing over the rooftops, through the history of graffiti art, and face-to-face with a question of the moment: Where does art belong?
Blood at the Root by Dominique Morriseau
(Original cast of 6 but room to expand without doubling)
https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/60202/blood-at-the-rootA striking new ensemble drama based on the Jena Six; six Black students who were initially charged with attempted murder for a school fight after being provoked with nooses hanging from a tree on campus. This bold new play by Dominique Morisseau (
Sunset Baby, Detroit '67, Skeleton Crew) examines the miscarriage of justice, racial double standards, and the crises in relations between men and women of all classes and, as a result, the shattering state of Black family life.
Good luck to you with your choices, and to us all.
------------------------------
Cora Turlish
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2021 18:25
From: Ellie McIvor-Baker
Subject: New play ideas for rebuilding a program next year
Hi everyone!
I'm reaching out to see if anyone has any ideas for new plays that will excite students and help me to rebuild our program next year. I started the theater program at my school 4 years ago and we went from 10-65 students between our first and second season. Like many of you, those numbers dwindled as we went virtual and nearly all of my students are graduating this year. The first play that we did was 12 Angry Jurors which was a dream for the first year and then did Clue: On Stage the year after that. We were preparing for Naomi Iizuka's Anon(ymous) right before shutting down for Covid.
This year I'll be primarily recruiting 9th and 10th graders and am looking for a contemporary ensemble show to get them excited about the program and also to bring in an audience. We lost most of our budget preparing for the show that shut down before covid and I don't have any budget from the school so will also be looking to keep spending to a minimum.
Our student population is very diverse and I am very interested in moving away from eurocentric performances. I am also interested in generally reenvisioning what theater can look like and brainstorming new ways to bring theater to life for students who will be doing theater for the first time.
Some additional things I'm looking for in a show:
- Not written by a white man
- Ensemble cast (ideally 10-20)
- Minimal set OR possibilities for staging in unique places (outside/other school rooms etc)
- Comedy or comedic elements
- Racial and gender diversity
- Possibly something that touches on social issues or something more escapist and fantastical
- Nothing that is too didactic or on the nose about "teenage life"
Thank you all!
------------------------------
Ellie McIvor-Baker
Theater Teacher and Director
------------------------------